The City Mouse and the Country Mouse

A country mouse invited a city mouse, a good friend of his,to have dinner together in the countryside. The country mouse served him the best meal he could find. Seeing that there were only some corns on the table, the city mouse was shocked.

“I can't believe this, my friend,” said the city mouse. “Why are you living like an ant? The food is much better at my home. We can come to my place, and I will share with you.”

The country mouse agreed and went into the city with his friend. The city mouse lived in a man's apartment which was really big and beautiful. When they arrived, the city mouse took the country mouse to the kitchen. Bread, cake, fruit and honey. There were plenty of food on the table.

“Help yourself,” said the city mouse.

“I have never seen such great food before!” said the country mouse. “I hope I can live like you.” Then he complained about his poor life in the heart.

Right before the dinner, a man suddenly opened the door of the kitchen. The mice jumped of the table, ran into a hole and hid themselves as fast as they could. The country mouse couldn't be more scared.

“Don't be afraid,” said the city mouse. “He will not know we are here.”

It seemed that the city mouse had done this before.

Then after the man left the kitchen, they crept out of the hole. However, before they could eat again, another man entered.The mice had to hide themselves again.

They had not eaten anything so far this evening. At last, the country mouse was ready to give up.

“My dear friend,” he said to the city mouse. “Thank you for preparing this wonderful food for me, but I have to leave now. You can still have your nice dinner in fear, but I prefer going back to the country and having some corns in safety .”

· Living a simple life in safety may be better than living a luxurious life in danger.

Key Words

● safety [ˈseɪftɪ] n. 安全

▲ luxurious [lʌɡˈʒʊərɪəs] adj. 奢侈的；豪华的